The Legal 500

Leading Scottish law firm Miller Samuel is delighted to announce the appointment of Philip Curle (36) as partner and head of its commercial property practice with effect from 1st September 2009. The appointment is part of a drive to grow the team and expand the breadth of services and expertise offered to clients within the sector.

Bär & Karrer is pleased to announce that associate Rashid Bahar has been appointed associate professor of commercial law at the University of Geneva. Rashid Bahar will continue to advise the clients of Bär & Karrer in banking, finance and capital markets.

The Swiss Confederation announced that Credit Suisse, Morgan Stanley and UBS have placed its UBS stake with institutional investors at a price of CHF 16.50 per UBS share. The total gross proceeds for the 332,2 million UBS shares sold by the Swiss Confederation amount to approximately 5.5 Billion CHF.

After 21 years as a Partner, of which over 15 have been involved in managing and developing the business, Jonathan White has decided to stand down as a Partner of Ogier. Whilst he remains deeply committed to Ogier, Jonathan believes that the time is right for him to step aside and to develop other interests.

New Zealand has signed tax information exchange agreements with the British Virgin Islands and the Cayman Islands, bringing to 12 the number of agreements that the British Virgin Islands and the Cayman Islands have on exchange of information for tax purposes.

Ogier recently advised Arden Asset Management LLC on its agreement with J.P. Morgan under which Arden is managing a $1.1 billion proprietary hedge fund of funds portfolio for J.P. Morgan's investment banking division. J.P. Morgan's investment bank has seeded several new Arden funds and has invested in one of Arden's current flagship funds with these assets.

Ogier is delighted to announce the appointment of Gareth Thomas as Managing Director of Ogier Fiduciary Services (BVI) Ltd

Ogier has been nominated as a finalist for the award 'Offshore Law Firm of the Year 2009'

Anthony Dessain and Rob Gardner join panel of experts at Insolvency & Restructuring conference

Ricardo Rodrigues Lopes and Ana Castro Gonçalves are the new partners at Franco Caiado Guerreiro & Associados.

Schellenberg Wittmer is very pleased to announce three new partners for our teams Banking and Finance, Private Clients and Taxation: that three talented lawyers have become partners of the firm:

The "New RWE" structure of RWE Group entered into operation on 1 September 2009. The company is thereby adapting to ever increasing competition on the energy market.

Gerber Scientific, Inc., a US listed company based in South Windsor/Connecticut, has sold all of its shareholdings in the German and European companies of FOBA Technologies, a laser compoments manufacturer, to the technology company Danaher.

Gärde Wesslau named as BANKING & FINANCE LAW FIRM OF THE YEAR - SWEDEN

The European Commission today cleared, under the EC Merger Regulation, the acquisition by Deutsche Lufthansa AG of shares in Austrian Airlines held by state-owned Österreichische Industrieholding AG (ÖIAG).

On August 12, 2009, E.ON AG, the largest energy company in Germany, has reached an agreement with the municipal buyer consortium Integra/KOM9, an alliance comprising 50 public utilities, on the sale of Thüga AG.

Andrey Delchev and Partners – Eurolex Bulgaria provided legal advice to the World Bank and the Ministry of Regional Development and Public Works in respect of the Municipal Infrastructure Development Project funded with EUR 101.2 million.

Central European law firm Schoenherr has promoted Ursula Rath to partner in its Banking & Finance / Capital Markets Practice Group. Ursula, who specialises in capital markets transactions, investment funds and financial services including regulatory aspects, has acted on some of the most visible and innovative transactions in the Austrian market.

Since the beginning of 2009, MOLITOR Avocats à la Cour has been involved in several legal proceedings related to the Bernard Madoff Investment Securities (BLMIS) affair on Luxembourg market.

On August 19, 2009, The Swiss Confederation (the “Confederation”) announced its intention to exercise its right to convert all CHF 6 billion of its holding of UBS Manda-tory Convertible Notes due 2011 (“MCNs”) and to place with institutional investors the newly issued UBS shares received upon conversion. On August 20, 2009, the Confed-eration announced that all shares have been placed through a banking consortium consisting of UBS, Credit Suisse and Morgan Stanley, at a price of CHF 16.50 per share.

Bucharest, 6 May 2009. The value of the public procurement projects in which bpv GRIGORESCU was involved during last two years exceeds EUR 1.5 billion. From the establishment of the firm in 2006, bpv GRIGORESCU advised on public procurement projects with a total value that exceeds EUR 2.8 billion.

Bucharest, July 7, 2009 As of the beginning of 2009 the tax litigation portfolio of bpv GRIGORESCU, meas-ured by the value of claims, has increased by more than 20% that initially anticipated, to approximately EUR 15 million.

On August 4, 2009, MMA Vie SA closed its mandatory public tender offer for Harwanne Compagnie de participations industrielles et financières SA, a Swiss investment company listed on the SIX Swiss Exchange. This public tender offer was the first offer under the revised rules on public tender offers which had come into effect as from January 1, 2009 and which grant minority shareholders a standing in the administrative proceedings before the Takeover Board. The transaction represents a total value of CHF 183 million.

Miller Samuel are delighted to welcome Claire O'Neill as an Associate to the Litigation Department.

The firm is completely renewing its corporative identity, a new group thus arising, which comprises two brands, Lener and Asigno, with different activities, the name Legalia Abogados under which the firm had hereto operated therefore disappearing.

Transactions in Germany have recently declined as a result of the banking and financial crisis and the difficulties this crisis has caused to the funding of – particularly – major transactions. As most other law firms, GSK Stockmann + Kollegen currently faces some changes in the legal market due to this crisis including a dip in deal volumes and transaction speed, whereas transactions with relation to restructuring and insolvency law are getting more important.

Central European law firm Schoenherr is advising German car manufacturer Volkswagen on the Austrian and CEE aspects of the creation of an integrated automotive group with Porsche led by Volkswagen.

Sofia, 2 July 2009 - Bulgaria is a country with high potential for investment into and financing of renewable energy sources (RES) projects, but the support of the government and a better regulatory and legal framework are essential. That was the conclusion of the exclusive business roundtable “Investments and financing of renewable energy sources in Bulgaria”, which took place on 30 June in Sofia. Wolf Theiss, one of the leading law firms in Central and Eastern Europe, was host of the meeting organized in partnership with the Commercial section of the Austrian Embassy in Bulgaria.

Sofia, 18 June 2009 - WOLF THEISS, one of the leading law firms in Central and Eastern Europe, announces that after its submissions to the Government and institutions of Bulgaria and the European Commission, the Bulgarian Supreme Bar Council has registered Wolf Theiss as a fully constituted and regulated law firm in Bulgaria.

Sofia, 4 June 2009 - WOLF THEISS, one of the leading law firms in Central and Eastern Europe, announces that it has advised Equest Investments Balkans (EIB) on the sale of its Bulgarian automotive wholesaler and distributor, Avto Union Holding Limited to Eurohold Automotive Group.

Ljubljana, 27 July 2009 - WOLF THEISS, one of the leading law firms in Central and Eastern Europe, announced today that it has advised banks that arranged the issuance by Nova Ljubljanska Banka (NLB) of a EURO 1.5 billion bond which will be backed by the Slovenian state for a 3-year term.

on its purchase of OSSH in one of the largest privatisations in SEE. Prague, 3 June 2009 – WOLF THEISS, one of the leading law firms in Central and Eastern Europe, has advised Czech power company, ČEZ, on its EUR 102 million purchase of the Albanian power distributor OSSH.

International law firm Harneys recently advised the Brazil-based international mining company Vale on a US$942 million offering of mandatorily convertible notes made by its wholly-owned Cayman Islands subsidiary, Vale Capital II.  London-based partner Jonathan Culshaw provided Cayman Islands advice to Vale and Vale Capital II in respect of the notes issue

Lawyers from Carey Olsen’s corporate team have played a key role in an innovative transaction involving Germany1 Acquisition Limited, a special purpose acquisition company (SPAC), registered in Guernsey and listed on Euronext. Germany1 agreed to acquire all the shares of AEG Power Solutions B.V. for EUR 200 million in cash and 19,208,955 Germany1 shares, plus a further number of Germany1 shares depending upon the future performance of AEG.

At a seminar held by Carey Olsen, employment lawyers from the firm took the audience through the relevant points of law, and explored the issues surrounding communication in the workplace through an interactive case study.

Gernandt & Danielsson has advised Temporär Förvaltning i Stockholm AB (former Nordic Growth Market NGM Holding AB) on the acquisition.

As part of its corporate social responsibility programme, Andreas Neocleous & Co was one of the main sponsors of a musical concert by the leading Greek tenor Marios Frangoulis held in the Curium amphitheatre near Limassol on 4 August.

On July 15, 2009, the concert-hall Freedom welcomed the nominees of the yearly award ceremony “TOP-100 Best managers of Ukraine”, organized by “Economika” Publishing House.

Dmitriy Marichev, the Senior Associate and the Head of Restructuring and Mediation Practice of International Law Firm INTEGRITES, participated in the Round Table on Bankruptcy, Mergers and Acquisitions as the Tools of Anti-Crisis Management, held on July, 2, in Kyiv.

On June, 21 INTEGRITES’ football team participated at the European Business Association Summer Football Tournament at the “Novyi Druk” stadium in Kyiv.

Mourant recently sponsored the Cayman Islands Financial Services Association dinner. The event addressed perceptions of Cayman in the USA, as well as the challenges facing the financial services industry and some of the strategies to help tackle them.

Mourant du Feu & Jeune has established the first two Foundation structures in Jersey, on the first day the new law came into force in the Island.

Mourant du Feu & Jeune has been named Jersey Law Firm of the Year for the second year in succession in the Who’s Who Legal Awards

UKBA has announced new changes for sponsors and an updated set of sponsor guidance notes.

The reality of using London-style taxis for many wheelchair users is challenged as unsafe and discriminatory. John Halford of Bindmans LLP represents Mrs Lunt and the co-claimant, Allied Vehicles, which manufacture the E7. He said today: “Liverpool blithely expects Mrs Lunt and many others like her to take risks when travelling that no-one should be expected to run. That this case should need to be brought at all is remarkable. Worse still, to defend itself Liverpool is arguing for an interpretation of the DDA so narrow it would make the anti discrimination rights disabled people enjoy quite meaningless. We trust the Court will reject that and firmly indicate that wheelchair users can expect equality under the law like everyone else.”

Their lawyer, Ms Chez Cotton, Head of the Police Misconduct Department at leading London law firm Bindmans LLP said: "A free press is fundamental in a democratic society and the increasingly oppressive and intimidating way in which the police appear to be treating journalists reporting at protests is unacceptable and of great concern. My clients hope the Commissioner will swiftly give a full apology for this incident, and confirm that he and his officers understand and accept that they have no legal power or moral responsibility to prevent or restrict what journalists record and are fully committed to actively helping them carry out their reporting duties."

Debbie Purdy has won a landmark victory in the House of Lords, making new law on Art 8, ECHR the right to respect for private and family life. The DPP must issue a prosecution policy.

London and South East law firm Penningtons Solicitors LLP has negotiated damages on behalf of a young man in his 30s, Anthony Venner, who despite being admitted to Eastbourne District General Hospital with classic symptoms of cauda equina syndrome, became a victim of bed shortages and lack of appropriate assessment, management and communication. There was a delay of 24 hours in performing surgery on him which, in the view of independent medical experts, should have been regarded as an emergency. As a result, Mr Venner has been left with a considable degree of disability and has had to give up his career.

Mobimo Holding AG today published the details of its exchange offer for all publicly held shares of LO Holding Lausanne-Ouchy S.A. Mobimo also disclosed that it acquired a stake of approximately 22% in LO Holding from JBF Finance SA.

Swiss Prime Site today published the details of its exchange offer for all publicly held shares of Jelmoli Holding AG. Swiss Prime Site also disclosed that the acquisition of a stake of approximately 30% in Jelmoli Holding AG from Pelham Investments AG has been closed.